U.S. patent application number 17/397795 was filed with the patent office on 2022-04-21 for wireless charger with sterilization function.
The applicant listed for this patent is SOLUM CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Hyung Bong JEON, Woochan KWON, Jaisul YU.
Application Number | 20220123568 17/397795 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005829173 |
Filed Date | 2022-04-21 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20220123568 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
KWON; Woochan ; et
al. |
April 21, 2022 |
WIRELESS CHARGER WITH STERILIZATION FUNCTION
Abstract
A wireless charger with a sterilization function is provided.
The wireless charger includes a main body configured to include an
internal space opened upward and a seating surface forming a bottom
surface of the internal space; a cover configured to be rotatably
connected to the main body to open and close the internal space of
the main body; an ultraviolet lamp configured to be disposed on the
seating surface and a lower surface of the cover, respectively, to
irradiate ultraviolet rays into the internal space of the main
body; and a transmit coil configured to be disposed inside the
cover to transmit energy to an electronic device placed on an upper
surface opposing to the lower surface of the cover.
Inventors: |
KWON; Woochan; (SUWON-SI,
KR) ; YU; Jaisul; (SEOUL, KR) ; JEON; Hyung
Bong; (SUWON-SI, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SOLUM CO., LTD. |
Yongin-si |
|
KR |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005829173 |
Appl. No.: |
17/397795 |
Filed: |
August 9, 2021 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02J 7/0044 20130101;
H02J 50/12 20160201; H02J 7/0047 20130101; A61L 2/10 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H02J 7/00 20060101
H02J007/00; A61L 2/10 20060101 A61L002/10; H02J 50/12 20060101
H02J050/12 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 15, 2020 |
KR |
10-2020-0133657 |
May 6, 2021 |
KR |
20-2021-0001438 |
Claims
1. A wireless charger with a sterilization function, the wireless
charger comprising: a main body configured to include an internal
space opened upward and a seating surface forming a bottom surface
of the internal space; a cover configured to be rotatably connected
to the main body to open or close the internal space of the main
body; an ultraviolet lamp configured to be disposed on the seating
surface and a lower surface of the cover, respectively, to
irradiate ultraviolet rays into the internal space of the main
body; and a transmit coil configured to be disposed inside the
cover to transmit energy to an electronic device placed on an upper
surface opposing to the lower surface of the cover.
2. The wireless charger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main
body includes a plurality of protrusions formed to protrude upward
from the seating surface.
3. The wireless charger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seating
surface includes: an intermediate region that is horizontally
disposed; and inclined regions disposed on both sides of the
intermediate region and disposed to be inclined downward in a
direction away from the intermediate region.
4. The wireless charger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main
body has a side surface that is inclined so that a lower end is
located more outward than an upper end.
5. The wireless charger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cover
has a side surface that is inclined so that an upper end is located
more outward than a lower end.
6. The wireless charger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cover
includes a sealing member protruding from the lower surface of the
cover and having a side surface in contact with an inner side
surface of the main body when the cover closes the internal
space.
7. The wireless charger as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
a sensor configured to detect whether the cover opens or closes the
internal space; and a processor configured to control the
ultraviolet lamp to stop the irradiation of ultraviolet rays when
it is determined that the internal space is opened based on
information received from the sensor.
8. The wireless charger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main
body includes: an LED indicator configured to be disposed on a
front surface thereof to indicate charging and sterilization
states; and a power input port configured to be disposed on a rear
surface thereof.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application is based on and claims priority under 35
U.S.C. .sctn. 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0133657,
filed on Oct. 15, 2020, and Korean Patent Application No.
20-2021-0001438, filed on May 6, 2021 in the Korean Intellectual
Property Office, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated
by reference in their entireties.
BACKGROUND
Field
[0002] Apparatuses relate to a wireless charger with a
sterilization function, and more particularly, to a wireless
charger with a sterilization function that may perform
sterilization inside a main body and may wirelessly charge an
electronic device placed on an upper surface of a cover for opening
or closing the inside of the main body by the cover
Description of the Related Art
[0003] Recently, a technology for wirelessly charging a battery of
an electronic device without connecting a cable to the electronic
device has been developed. In addition, as interest in personal
hygiene increases, the need for sterilization of electronic devices
used by users for a long time is increasing.
[0004] On the other hand, in the conventional wireless charger with
a sterilization function, sterilization and charging of the
electronic device were simultaneously performed inside a main body.
However, there is a problem that the user may not check a charging
level of the electronic device disposed inside the main body.
SUMMARY
[0005] Embodiments of the disclosure overcome the above
disadvantages and other disadvantages not described above. Also,
the disclosure is not required to overcome the disadvantages
described above, and an embodiment of the disclosure may not
overcome any of the problems described above.
[0006] The disclosure provides a wireless charger with a
sterilization function that may perform sterilization inside a main
body and may wirelessly charge an electronic device placed on an
upper surface of a cover for opening or closing the inside of the
main body by the cover.
[0007] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a wireless
charger with a sterilization function includes a main body
configured to include an internal space opened upward and a seating
surface forming a bottom surface of the internal space; a cover
configured to be rotatably connected to the main body to open or
close the internal space of the main body; an ultraviolet lamp
configured to be disposed on the seating surface and a lower
surface of the cover, respectively, to irradiate ultraviolet rays
into the internal space of the main body; and a transmit coil
configured to be disposed inside the cover to transmit energy to an
electronic device placed on an upper surface opposing to the lower
surface of the cover.
[0008] The main body may include a plurality of protrusions formed
to protrude upward from the seating surface.
[0009] The seating surface may include an intermediate region that
is horizontally disposed; and inclined regions disposed on both
sides of the intermediate region and disposed to be inclined
downward in a direction away from the intermediate region.
[0010] The main body may have a side surface that is inclined so
that a lower end is located more outward than an upper end.
[0011] The cover may have a side surface that is inclined so that
an upper end is located more outward than a lower end.
[0012] The cover may include a sealing member protruding from the
lower surface of the cover and having a side surface in contact
with an inner side surface of the main body when the cover closes
the internal space.
[0013] The wireless charger may further include a sensor configured
to detect whether the cover opens or closes the internal space; and
a processor configured to control the ultraviolet lamp to stop the
irradiation of ultraviolet rays when it is determined that the
internal space is opened based on information received from the
sensor.
[0014] The main body may include an LED indicator configured to be
disposed on a front surface thereof to indicate charging and
sterilization states; and a power input port configured to be
disposed on a rear surface thereof.
[0015] According to diverse embodiments of the disclosure, in the
wireless charger with the sterilization function, because the
charging object is not located in the internal space of the main
body, but is placed on the upper surface of the cover and exposed
to the outside, the user may easily check the charging level of the
charging object, whether a message has been received, whether a
call has been received, and the like.
[0016] In addition, when the sterilization of the sterilization
object placed on the seating surface of the internal space of the
main body is completed, the user may easily take out the
sterilization object, which is rotated and erected, from the
internal space of the main body by pressing the sterilization
object downward toward one of the inclined regions of the seating
surface.
[0017] In addition, as the side surface of the cover is inclined so
that the upper end is located more outward than the lower end, the
user may stably grip the inclined side surface of the cover and
rotate the cover with a small force, thereby easily opening the
internal space of the main body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The above and/or other aspects of the disclosure will be
more apparent by describing certain embodiments of the disclosure
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a wireless charger
with a sterilization function according to an embodiment of the
disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the wireless charger of
FIG. 1;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a state in which a cover of
the wireless charger of FIG. 1 is opened;
[0022] FIG. 4 is a top view illustrating an internal space of a
main body;
[0023] FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the cover; and
[0024] FIG. 6 is a block diagram for explaining the wireless
charger according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] It should be understood that the embodiments described below
are illustratively shown to help understanding of the disclosure,
and that the disclosure may be implemented in various
modifications, unlike the embodiments described herein. However, in
the following description of the disclosure, when it is determined
that a detailed description of related known functions or
components may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the
disclosure, the detailed description and specific illustration will
be omitted. Further, the accompanying drawings are not illustrated
to scale, but sizes of some of components may be exaggerated to
help the understanding of the disclosure.
[0026] The terms used in the specification and claims have chosen
generic terms in consideration of the functions of the disclosure.
However, these terms may vary depending on the intentions of the
artisan skilled in the art, legal or technical interpretation, and
emergence of new technologies. In addition, some terms are
arbitrarily chosen by the applicant. These terms may be interpreted
as meanings defined in the specification, and may also be
interpreted based on the general contents of the specification and
common technical knowledge in the art without specific term
definitions.
[0027] In the disclosure, an expression "have", "may have",
"include", "may include", or the like, indicates an existence of a
corresponding feature (for example, a numerical value, a function,
an operation, a component such as a part, or the like), and does
not exclude an existence of an additional feature.
[0028] In addition, in the specification, components necessary for
description of each embodiment of the disclosure are described, and
thus are not necessarily limited thereto. Therefore, some
components may be changed or omitted, and other components may be
added. In addition, the components may be disposed to be
distributed in different independent apparatuses.
[0029] Further, hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure will be
described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and
the contents described in the accompanying drawings, but the
disclosure is not limited or restricted to the embodiments.
[0030] Hereinafter, the disclosure will be described in more detail
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0031] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a wireless charger
with a sterilization function according to an embodiment of the
disclosure. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the wireless
charger of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a state in which a
cover of the wireless charger of FIG. 1 is opened.
[0032] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a wireless charger 1 with a
sterilization function according to an embodiment of the disclosure
may include a main body 100, a cover 200, an ultraviolet lamp 300,
and a transmit coil 400.
[0033] The main body 100 may include an internal space 110 opened
upward (+Z direction) and a seating surface 120 forming a bottom
surface of the internal space 110.
[0034] The cover 200 may be rotatably connected to the main body
100 to open or close the internal space 110 of the main body
100.
[0035] In detail, a second hinge shaft 201 of the cover 200 may be
disposed between first hinge shafts 101 of the main body 100, and
may be rotatably connected to the first hinge shafts 101 of the
main body 100. The first and second hinge shafts 101 and 201 may be
disposed in parallel with each other to define a rotation shaft
parallel to a Y1 axis. Accordingly, the cover 200 may be rotated
with respect to the main body 100 based on the Y1 axis to open or
close the internal space 110 of the main body 100.
[0036] When the cover 200 rotates by a preset angle (e.g., 30
degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees, etc.) with respect to the main
body 100, the cover 200 may be fixed so that the rotation angle is
maintained. Accordingly, because the user does not feel that the
cover 200 fixed at a specific rotation angle is loose, convenience
of use may be increased.
[0037] The ultraviolet lamp 300 may be disposed on the seating
surface 120 and a lower surface 220 of the cover 200, respectively,
to irradiate ultraviolet rays into the internal space 110 of the
main body 100.
[0038] The ultraviolet lamp 300 may irradiate UV-C having a
wavelength of 200 nm or more and 280 nm or less, rather than
general UV having a wavelength of 100 nm or more and 200 nm or
more. Accordingly, the ultraviolet lamp 300 has a sustaining power
of 10 times or more as compared to a lamp irradiating the general
UV, and may be environmentally friendly because it does not use
mercury.
[0039] A total of six UV lamps 300 may be provided, three UV lamps
may be disposed on the seating surface 120, and three UV lamps may
be disposed on the lower surface 220 of the cover 200, but the
number of UV lamps is not limited thereto. The plurality of
ultraviolet lamps 300 may be disposed in a length direction of the
wireless charger 1, that is, parallel to a Y-axis.
[0040] Because a sterilization object placed in the internal space
110 of the main body 100 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from
the upper and lower sides, the sterilization object may be
uniformly sterilized over the entire region. The entire region of
the sterilization object may be uniformly sterilized with only
about 10 minutes of sterilization, but the sterilization time is
not limited thereto.
[0041] The sterilization object placed in the internal space 110 of
the main body 100 may be a mobile phone, a mask, and cosmetic
utensils, but is not limited thereto.
[0042] On the other hand, the components forming the internal space
110 of the main body 100 may have a surface formed of a metal
material. Accordingly, because the ultraviolet rays irradiated by
the ultraviolet lamp 300 collides with the metal surface and are
continuously reflected, it is possible to uniformly sterilize the
entire region of the sterilization object, and the sterilization
efficiency may be improved.
[0043] The transmit coil 400 may be disposed inside the cover 200
to transmit energy to an electronic device placed on the upper
surface 210 of the cover 200 opposing to the lower surface 220 of
the cover 200.
[0044] In detail, when a current flows through the transmit coil
400 to generate an electromagnetic field, an induced current flows
through a receive coil in the electronic device, so that the
electronic device may be wirelessly charged.
[0045] A charging object placed on the upper surface 210 of the
cover 200 may be a mobile phone and a wireless earphone, but is not
limited thereto.
[0046] Because the charging object is not located in the internal
space 110 of the main body 100, but is placed on the upper surface
210 of the cover 200 and exposed to the outside, the user may
easily check a charging level of the charging object, whether a
message has been received, whether a call has been received, and
the like.
[0047] A side surface 230 of the cover 200 may be inclined so that
an upper end 231 thereof is located more outward than a lower end
232 thereof. That is, an end surface of the cover 200 may have a
trapezoidal shape in which an upper side is longer than a lower
side.
[0048] As the side surface 230 of the cover 200 is inclined as
described above, the user may stably grip the inclined side surface
230 of the cover 200 with a finger. In addition, as the user moves
the finger vertically upward (+Z direction) while gripping the side
surface 230 of the cover 200, the user may easily open the internal
space 110 of the main body 100 by rotating the cover 200 with a
small force.
[0049] The main body 100 may include an LED indicator 160 disposed
on a front surface to indicate charging and sterilization states,
and a power input port 170 disposed on a rear surface.
[0050] The LED indicator 160 may irradiate light of various colors
forward to indicate various states corresponding to each color of
the light (e.g., ON/OFF state, charging state, fully charged state,
sterilization state, sterilization completion state, etc.).
Accordingly, the user may intuitively check what kind of operation
the wireless charger 1 is currently performing.
[0051] The wireless charger 1 may receive external power through
the power input port 170 disposed on the rear surface. Accordingly,
the front surface of the wireless charger 1 may have a neat
appearance.
[0052] The power input port 170 may be a USB-C type, but is not
limited thereto. Electrical energy supplied through the power input
port 170 may be transmitted to the LED indicator 160, the
ultraviolet lamp 300, and the transmit coil 400.
[0053] The LED indicator 160 may also serve as a touch-type switch.
That is, the user may control an operation of the wireless charger
1 by touching the LED indicator 160. Accordingly, because the LED
indicator 160, which is the touch-type switch, not a mechanical
switch, is disposed on the front surface of the main body 100, the
front surface of the main body 100 may have a smooth and neat
appearance without a step.
[0054] A side surface 140 of the main body 100 may be inclined so
that a lower end 142 thereof is located more outward than an upper
end 141 thereof. That is, an end surface of the side surface of the
main body 100 may have a trapezoidal shape in which a lower side is
longer than an upper side.
[0055] Accordingly, a user looking down at the wireless charger 1
may easily checks the LED indicator 160 disposed on the inclined
side surface 140 of the main body 100 to check an operating state
of the wireless charger 1.
[0056] The wireless charger 1 does not have an angled portion as a
whole, and may be designed in a streamlined design. Accordingly,
the wireless charger 1 may have a luxurious appearance like a
jewelry box as an interior element.
[0057] FIG. 4 is a top view illustrating an internal space of a
main body.
[0058] Referring to FIG. 4, the main body 100 may include a
plurality of protrusions 130 protruding upward from the seating
surface 120.
[0059] That is, the sterilization object disposed in the internal
space 110 of the main body 100 may be supported by the plurality of
protrusions 130. Accordingly, because the sterilization object does
not come into direct contact with the ultraviolet lamps 300
disposed on the seating surface 120, it is possible to prevent the
sterilization object from being unintentionally heated by the
ultraviolet lamps 300.
[0060] The plurality of protrusions 130 may be provided in four and
may be arranged in a lattice form, but the number or arrangement of
the protrusions is not limited thereto.
[0061] The plurality of protrusions 130 are formed of a soft rubber
material having a high coefficient of friction, and thus, it is
possible to prevent the sterilization object placed on the
protrusions 130 from slipping or being damaged unintentionally.
[0062] The seating surface 120 may include an intermediate region
121 that is horizontally disposed and inclined regions 122 disposed
on both sides of the intermediate region 121 and disposed to be
inclined downward in a direction away from the intermediate region
121.
[0063] When the sterilization of the sterilization object placed on
the seating surface 120 is completed, the user may press the
sterilization object downward toward one inclined region 122 of the
two inclined regions 122.
[0064] Accordingly, the sterilization object is rotated and erected
so that one end thereof is close to any one inclined area 122, and
the user may easily take out the sterilization object that has been
sterilized from the internal space 110 of the main body 100.
[0065] FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the cover.
[0066] The cover 200 may include a sealing member 240 protruding
from the lower surface 220 of the cover 200 and having a side
surface 241 in contact with an inner side surface 150 of the main
body 100 when the cover 200 closes the internal space 110.
[0067] The sealing member 240 may rotate together with the cover
200 to be inserted into the internal space 110 of the main body
100. The sealing member 240 may be formed of a metal material
capable of reflecting ultraviolet rays.
[0068] In a state in which the cover 200 closes the internal space
110, because the side surface 241 of the sealing member 240 is in
contact with the inner side surface 150 of the main body 100, a
phenomenon in which ultraviolet rays are unintentionally leaked to
the outside may be prevented.
[0069] FIG. 6 is a block diagram for explaining the wireless
charger according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
[0070] Referring to FIG. 6, the wireless charger 1 according to an
embodiment of the disclosure may further include a sensor 500 and a
processor 600.
[0071] The sensor 500 may detect whether the cover 200 opens or
closes the internal space 110. For example, the sensor 500 may
detect whether the cover 200 opens or closes the internal space 110
by detecting the rotation angle of the cover 200 or detecting
whether the cover 200 and the main body 100 are in contact.
[0072] If it is determined that the internal space 110 is opened
based on information received from the sensor 500, the processor
600 may control the ultraviolet lamp 300 to stop the irradiation of
ultraviolet rays.
[0073] Accordingly, because the ultraviolet lamp 300 does not
irradiate ultraviolet rays when the cover 200 opens the internal
space 110, a phenomenon in which ultraviolet rays are
unintentionally leaked to the outside of the internal space 110 may
be prevented.
[0074] In the above, the embodiment of the disclosure has been
shown and described, but the disclosure is not limited to the
specific embodiment described above, and anyone with ordinary skill
in the art to which the disclosure pertains can make various
modifications without departing from the gist of the disclosure as
claimed in the claims, and such modifications are intended to be
within the scope of the claims.
* * * * *